HIT M HI
High Interest Technology Motivating Handwriting Instruction
for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder or fine motor/ visual motor deficits 

Karen Jackson Stindt MS OTR
Occupational Therapist/Assistive Technology Consultant
WATI/CESA 6
PO Box 2568
Oshkosh, WI 54903
kstindt@cesa6.k12.wi.us (920) 236-0585
Why is learning to write different for students with Autism?
? Discrepancies between cognition and fine motor skills
? Difficulty with following verbal directions
? Motivation and interest
? Sensory issues
? Fine motor and motor planning difficulties
Areas of difficulty that affect writing 
? Handwriting, The writing process, Organization
Handwriting
? Complex skill
? Requires the ability to motor plan new movements
? Requires fine motor skills
Grip
? Tripod 3 variations
? 3 finger
? 4 finger
? Between index and middle
? Open web space with ring and pinkie finger curled in the hand
? Grip does NOT correlate with good handwriting
EZ writer / Handi-writer
How does it feel to have problems with handwriting?
? Using your non-dominant hand write your name spelling it backwards
The sequence of visual motor skill acquisition for learning to write
? Scribble
? Vertical, horizontal scribble
? Circle
? Cross (simple letters)
? Diagonal lines (additional letters)
? Square (letters combined)
? Triangle (complex letters)
? Combined shapes (words)
? Following the developmental sequence for writing
? Is it necessary?
? Visual motor skills VS kinesthetic skills
? Close your eyes and write your name
Boardmaker 
? Great tool for
? Communication boards
? PECS
? Labeling of classroom
? Sequencing activities
? Providing directions
How can Boardmaker be used for writing?
? Idea to use boardmaker with students who have autism 
? Allows you to save/share activities you have made to help kids learn how to write
? Helps individualize the activity to the student
? Visual strategy
? Motivation
? Interest
Ways to use Boardmaker for handwriting activities
? Prewriting activities
? Visual discrimination
? Refining fine motor skills
? Practicing coloring
? Inventing new ways to learn the A,B,Cs
? Practicing A,B,Cs
Things to Keep in Mind
? Make sure activities are developmentally appropriate and suited to cognitive level
? Focus on the process not the product
Prewriting Activities
? Getting the child to visually guide their hand
? Driving cars on a road
? Dot to dot pictures
? Drawing shapes
Dot to dot activities
Shapes
Visual Discrimination
? Drawing lines to matching objects
? Drawing lines to picture that are the same but different sizes
? Matching the letters in their name
Refining fine motor skills
? Coloring in small spaces
? Stabilizing forearm wrist on table
? Using finger movement instead of wrist/forearm/shoulder
? Make it motivating and specific to the childs interests
Practicing coloring
? Make worksheets that have small places to color
? Let the students help design the worksheets
? Use high interest items that are motivating to the child
? Use a measuring system so they know how much work they have to do
Inventing new ways to learn the A,B,Cs
? Design letter worksheets for students who dont learn writing the traditional way
? Letters
? Numbers 
? Personalize instruction by using highly motivating images and/or pictures
? Let the student help design the worksheet
Letters- Klaras K and L
Letters- Ryans R and Y
Practicing A,B,Cs
? Make child specific worksheets for 
? Practicing letter groups
? Practicing first and last name
? Practicing numbers
Practice
? Makes perfect
? Makes permanent 
? Much easier to teach the pattern the right way than to try and change it
Helpful Tips
? Its easy to make duplicates of cells once they have been designed
? Dont reinvent the wheel! Save your designs and use again.
? Finding the right motivator is the KEY!
